Pastor Stephen Dedman

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Renewed Faith

Encouragement, Faith

“Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you.””
John 20:19

After the crucifixion of Jesus, the disciples stayed in the upper room for fear of the Jews. Because they were disciples of Jesus, they feared they may be crucified next. But along with the fear, they were confused as to what to do next.

For three years they dedicated themselves to the ministry work that Jesus taught them. On top of the fear and confusion, the women reported to them that Jesus was alive and spoke to them. Fear, confusion and bewilderment!

All of a sudden, from out of nowhere, Jesus appeared to them in the upper room. There is a reason why His words were, “Peace be with you.” They were terrified. The doors were locked. And there appeared Jesus, alive and well.

Can you imagine what the disciples were feeling? How would you react?

There was a common response to everyone who witnessed Jesus after the resurrection. They were amazed and they wanted to tell others. They went from fear, confusion, and bewilderment to a new sense of amazement and excitement. The disciples were reenergized with faith and hope.

Are you energized with faith and hope? Are you eager to tell others that Jesus is alive? All it takes is to encounter a moment with Jesus and it makes all the difference in the world.

If you want to renew your faith and hope all you have to do is draw close to God. The Bible promises that whoever draws near to Him, He will draw near to them. (James 4:8)

Pray

Lord, I want to encounter You right now. Forgive me of my sins and refresh my faith and hope. I turn to You for everything I need.

Are You Questioning God?

Encouragement, Faith, Trust

“My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, And from the words of My groaning?”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭22:1

Knowing God and His love is much more important than knowing why God is allowing something to happen in our life. Something amazing happens when we are faced with a difficult situation that challenges our faith. Sometimes God does not reveal the “why” but He does reveal Himself and His love.

The life of Job is a great example. Throughout Job’s suffering and questioning, God never revealed why He allowed Job to be tested but He did reveal His love to Job. Would you rather know the “why” or would you rather experience more of God’s love?

There are many times in our life that we tend to question God. “Why is this happening?”  “Why me, God?”  “Why us?” It’s a very natural question for for us to ask. Questioning God is not a sin. Doubting God is a sin, but asking God, “why?”, helps us to better understand the suffering or difficult situations we encounter. But is asking “why?”, the best response?

God allows us to endure hardships and trials for us to grow closer in our relationship with Him. God wants us to know Him and understand what He can do for us. When we better understand who God is, the better response we have to our sufferings. When we realize how much God loves us, there is no need to question Him.

If you are questioning God today, you should stop asking “why” and start asking “what”. “Lord, what is it that you are teaching me? What can I learn from this situation? What do you have in store for me?” This will change our perspective of what we are facing.

Pray

Lord, what do you need to teach me today? I want to know you more everyday. Help me to understand your ways and your thoughts.

Wait On The Lord

Trust

“Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when He heard that he was sick, He stayed two more days in the place where He was.”
John 11:5-6

There are times in our life when we don’t understand why things are happening. We pray for God to allow things to go smoothly for us. But what about the times when things don’t go our way?

The words in verse 5 is what we expect to hear. We expect to hear that Jesus loved his close friends. Martha, Mary and Lazarus were very close to Jesus.

Jesus would often go to their house and eat the meals that Martha cooked and Mary would sit at His feet and listen to His stories. Their relationship with Jesus was personal. Jesus enjoyed being with them and they enjoyed being with Him.

What we don’t expect to hear are these words in verse 6. “So when He (Jesus) heard that Lazarus was sick, He stayed were He was two more days.” That is not what anyone expects Jesus to do. We expect Him to quickly go to Bethany and heal Lazarus and everyone is happy.

That’s our expectations. We want Jesus to come when we call for Him. We want Jesus to take action when we need Him. For Jesus to delay helping His close friends shows us that He has a bigger plan.

Jesus wanted to do something far beyond what anyone could have imagined. So He allowed Lazarus to into the grave a few days to prove who He was. When Jesus arrived to the place where Lazarus laid, He called out His name and the dead man came alive. The glory of God was shown so that many believed in Him as the Messiah.

We must remember that Jesus doesn’t always do what we expect. Sometimes He wants to do things that are beyond our comprehension. He wants us to know that He is able to do more than what we expect.

The Lord wants to show us that He is able to do things that are indescribable. But we must believe He is able. If He is able to give sight to the blind and life to the dead, He is able to take care of every problem we have.

Wait on the Lord and let Him do what He needs to do in your life. The wait may not be just for you. He may want to use your circumstance to show someone else who He is.

Pray

Lord, I wait for You to give me what I need. I trust in Your provision. Give me wisdom to see how Your working in my life.